The international team of physicists behind several revolutionary warp drive concepts, including the first to require no exotic matter, say recent unprecedented breakthroughs in physics and propulsion have launched world powers into a Cold War-style space race on the 21st world’s first working warp drive.
“We are preparing a space race,” said Gianni Martie, the company’s founder Applied Physics think-tank (AP) and co-author of two forthcoming warp drive research papers, email at Debrief. “Still is.” a ton to discover and invent, but now we have extra steps that we didn’t have before.”
The AP team, composed of more than 30 physicists and scientists in related fields, has earned a considerable reputation in the warp theory community for its highly regarded, peer-reviewed papers on numerous warp drive concepts. He recently announced one of these concepts Debrief it gained considerable attention and inspired many researchers and scientists to declare the team’s “constant velocity warp drive model” as the first practical, viable warp drive concept ever proposed.
The AP team also created Warp Factory, a set of development and simulation tools that allow fellow researchers in this emerging field to evaluate the physics of their own models, which can greatly improve model quality and viability.
In an effort to better understand the history of warp theory, the scientific viability of the most current warp drive concepts, what the media always gets wrong about this category of research, and what the next steps in this potential space race might look like, Debrief approached the Applied Physics team, leading to an exchange that hints at the futuristic science viewers are familiar with Star Trek it may be closer than we think.
LINK: Will people ever build a working warp drive?
APPLIED PHYSICS: The laws of physics definitely allow subluminal warp drives to work, but not superluminal warp drives. While our constant velocity warp solution is a promising step, there are many engineering and materials science challenges ahead, so the timeline is uncertain, but ultimately depends on humanity, not physics.
TD: Warp drive research recently celebrated 30 years since Mexican theoretical physicist Miguel Alcubierre proposed the original metric. Has there been significant progress since this first proposal?
AP: Yes, significant progress has been made. Models from the early 1990s required non-existent exotic matter, essentially pushing science aside. Work in the 1990s and 2000s reduced the amount of exotic matter needed, but the models were relatively unchanged and thus always remained non-physical. It wasn’t until 2021 that new warp unit classes appeared, culminating in the first physical warp solution, meaning it doesn’t use exotic matter.
TD: Will material progress be required along the way, or are there already basic materials to progress to a working warp drive?
AP: Yes, advances in materials science are needed. We require more than just plastic and aluminum to create a warp drive. We are talking about fluid-like materials with ultra-high densities. The good news is that our physics solution doesn’t require exotic matter, meaning it could be made from particles that already exist in our universe. Achieving these extreme densities, however, will require new advances.
TD: You’ve said before that the warp research community is currently very small. Have you seen any trends in the literature that suggest this is changing?
AP: Yes, interest has skyrocketed in recent years. More researchers are spending time on warp field mechanics, indicating a positive trend in community growth. More articles are being written on this topic. Most importantly, warp drives are once again considered serious science.
TD: After your well-received study on a viable warp drive dropped this year, have you heard from any researchers showing renewed interest in exploring this work?
AP: Yes, many researchers from around the world have reached out and expressed interest in helping develop our Warp Factory code and supporting warp drive research. We have received hundreds of Warp Grant applications and are narrowing down the candidates during the negotiations.
TD: What is the Warp Factory and how can it help researchers in this field?
AP: Warp Factory is an open-source numerical relativity tool for designing new warp drive spacetimes. Most warp drive research to date has been done analytically, which often limits exploration and analysis of even simple solutions can take months. With Warp Factory, this analysis can be done in minutes, while providing 2D and 3D visualizations. In fact, the use of the Warp Factory was vital to our discovery of the physics solution to the warp, as it was achieved largely through a numerical approach. By providing this tool, we envision that creative warp research will be community-driven in the future.
TD: With warp-capable vehicles potentially acting as powerful deterrents in global conflicts, how do you envision warp technology reshaping defense strategies and geopolitical dynamics?
AP: Since it’s so early, there’s still a lot we don’t understand about warp drives to fully understand their geopolitical impact. Could they have military applications? Maybe so, but until we can build them, we don’t know. At this stage we should focus on further developing our understanding of what is possible in the realm of warp mechanics. Now that the field is physical, there’s a lot of research to be done, so that’s definitely the first step. If one day we achieve “microwarp” propulsion in the laboratory, it would certainly trigger serious defense spending, as no nation can ignore the new propulsion method. However, we hope that the research will remain civil. It would be quite a shame to achieve such technical prowess just by throwing rocks at warp speed when the technology can be used to stimulate GDP and explore new frontiers.
TD: How will the ‘Warp Drive Space Race’ affect US education?
AP: As with the last space race, we are expected to see a huge increase in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) jobs. This is already happening today as we see countries like China and India setting space records, making it clear that the US has competition. And competition is good; we need a drive, an excuse to get up in the morning. Both the American and Russian economies profited greatly from the first space race. Demand for skilled professionals in fields such as advanced engineering, condensed matter physics, and warp field mechanics will skyrocket, creating millions of new high-quality STEM jobs. This technological renaissance is fueling innovation, driving economic growth, and putting these nations at the forefront of the next great leap in human civilization.
TD: What is Applied Physics doing next in its warp research?
AP: Applied Physics continues to explore new types of warp drives that we hope to share with the community soon. We are currently investigating the unique ways warp drives accelerate and evolve over time compared to traditional propulsion methods.
TD: Have we entered the Warp Age? If so, has the Warp Drive Space Race started yet?
AP: Humanity has theoretically taken small steps into the warp age, and recent efforts show that we can make progress in this area. Not yet in terms of a new space race, but interest is growing. China published warp papers soon after our paper came out and invested heavily in space.
TD: In the 20th century Cold War space race, many credit the USSR’s 1957 launch of Sputnik as the key event that set things in motion. What might the Sputnik moment look like in the warp drive space race?
AP: A “Sputnik moment” for warp drives would be the first successful demonstration of warp motion, spurring investment and interest similar to the original space race. It will likely be a miniature “micro warp” laboratory prototype.
TD: If the US government were to approve a Manhattan Project-style budget for warp drive research, what might the first steps of the effort look like?
AP: It is only a matter of time before warp drives become part of defense spending as scientifically proven. Initial steps would include establishing a state-of-the-art research facility, attracting top scientists, and focusing on solving key theoretical and technical problems. Since the mechanics of the warp field represent a new physical science, there is a lot of low-hanging fruit to discover as the floodgates are freshly opened. This would be the second official government funding for warp drive technology since Eagleworks Laboratories was established by NASA in 2012.
TD: And finally, what final message, if any, would you like to give to those hoping to make a working warp drive a reality?
AP: The dawn of the Warp Age represents a pivotal moment in human history, bringing both unique opportunities and significant challenges. As we navigate this new frontier, the balance between innovation and responsibility will be key to shaping a future that takes advantage of warp technology while ensuring a stable and peaceful world.
Christopher Plain is a science fiction and fantasy writer and senior science writer at The Debrief. Follow him and connect with him X, learn about his books at plainfiction.com or email him directly at christopher@thedebrief.org.